Timing is everything: Developmental changes in the associations between intergroup contact and bias.

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Conflict Studies

Background:

• Understanding intergroup relations is vital for conflict resolution and prejudice reduction.
• Developmental trajectories of contact and bias are understudied in conflict-affected youth.
• Belfast, Northern Ireland, provides a unique setting to examine these dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-based changes in the relationship between intergroup contact and bias among youth.
• To analyze how contact frequency and quality differentially impact bias over time.
• To explore group differences (Catholic vs. Protestant) in these developmental patterns.

Main Methods:

• Time-varying effects modeling (TVEM) was employed to analyze longitudinal data.
• The study included 667 youth from Belfast, Northern Ireland (mean age 15.74).
• Data focused on intergroup contact (frequency and quality) and levels of bias.

Main Results:

• Contact frequency showed no significant change in its relation to bias over time.
• The association between contact quality and bias strengthened significantly between ages 10-14, then plateaued.
• Distinct patterns emerged between Catholic and Protestant youth.

Conclusions:

• Contact quality is a critical factor in mitigating bias during adolescence in conflict settings.
• Interventions should focus on enhancing the quality of intergroup contact for youth.
• Findings inform strategies for promoting positive intergroup relations in divided communities.